Invisible Hearts
by Asori
Summary: When nearly invisible hearts break, soft words in the night can staid the tears and comfort the sorrowful. [A complementary scene between chapters 46 and 47 of A Man of a Monster]


**AN: Hey everyone - faithful followers of _A Man of a Monster_ and new readers alike - this one-shot here is a complementary scene between chapters 46 and 47 of _A Man of a Monster_ , as I stated in the summary. You may be confused if you aren't reading the story, but this is somewhat able to stand on its own. I hope this encourages you to check out the story.**

 **For the readers who are following the story, Chapter 46 was quite a tear-jerker, wasn't it? Well, I almost cried while I was writing it at least, and I'm the _author!_ Sheesh. Like really, I almost never cry - I'm a brick 0.o So anyways, I decided to make you possibly cry some more and further set up the state of the characters in Chapter 47. When I was writing Chapter 47, this idea popped into my head, and I thought 'This would make a really good one-shot/supplement'. So here it is. Enjoy :')**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own _Lab Rats_ or any of the characters, just the plot.**

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A lone figure stood in front of a wall of windows, staring ahead but seeing nothing. His sober reflection only seemed to mock him, so he had opted to ignore it hours ago.

As his thoughts shifted direction and washed over him with renewed energy, he swayed in place, hugging himself tighter. His teeth were unconsciously clenched, his every muscle tight.

The soft padding of footsteps gave away the approaching presence of another coming up from behind, stopping just before the first. "Adam," the newcomer croaked.

Adam remained silent, only blinking in response.

"Adam," Mr. Davenport tried again, putting a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" Adam snapped, spinning around. His expression could not be made out in the dim light of the fridge light coming from the kitchen, but his sudden heavy breathing revealed his raging emotions.

"Adam, it's late," Mr. Davenport began.

"I don't care," the oldest bionic cut him off. "Just leave me alone!"

The two of them only stared at each other before Mr. Davenport broke the tense silence, asking "Why?"

Adam shook his head, turning back around.

"Come here," Mr. Davenport said, taking the bionic's far shoulder and trying to guide him. But Adam only planted his feet, resisting his father figure's efforts. "Adam, you are not okay – you can't just stand here," Mr. Davenport said firmly.

"Why not?" Adam demanded, giving the billionaire a hard look. "I don't deserve any different."

"What do you mean?"

"I was always teasing him and throwing him around – it was just for fun, and I didn't mean any of that. And then that day, I didn't stop it, I didn't step in and help him, and then he was gone. An-and then he tried to come back, and I _couldn't_ help him – and now he's – and now he's-" Adam choked, burying his face in his hands.

Mr. Davenport stepped forward, wrapping the oldest bionic in a hug. "It's okay," he whispered.

"No, it's not!" Adam sobbed. "I _killed_ him!"

"It's not your fault – Spike-" the mogul swallowed, unable to continue.

"I never even told him that I loved him…."

Mr. Davenport's heart tightened painfully. "Neither did I."

They stood there for a long moment that stretched beyond mere minutes, adoptive father and son drawing comfort from each other. Silent tears were the only mark of time.

Finally Adam broke the stillness, stepping back. "For all he knows, I didn't care. My heart was invisible to him."

"Adam, that's not true," Mr. Davenport stated evenly.

"Yes it is!" Adam replied vehemently. "Don't lie to me!"

"Adam, that is not true at all. Come to the couch with me, and we're going to talk about this."

"I don't want to," Adam said stubbornly.

"Adam," Mr. Davenport said quietly, but his tone held an intensity of command. The oldest bionic picked up on this, and he reluctantly followed the billionaire to the couch and sat down next to him.

"Adam, who saved Chase from his capsule when he was trying to get you back on the team?" Mr. Davenport asked pointedly.

"I did," Adam mumbled.

"Who had his back on every mission you three have ever been on?"

"Bree. And me."

"Who was his playmate and role model?"

"Mostly me."

"What would you do if someone seriously hurt Chase somehow?"

"I would make whoever it was wish they hadn't been born!" Adam said with a fiery protectiveness. He paused as he realized what he had just said.

Mr. Davenport nodded, saying "Teasing is just a natural thing for older siblings – it's funny if your sibling can take the joke, and they usually get you back anyways. I know from experience. You aren't doing it to be mean, you're doing it because you want to show them some attention and make them – and everyone else – laugh. And who am I kidding – it is _so_ fun to annoy people!"

Adam cracked a small smile, but it quickly disappeared. "But what if Chase never took it as a joke? I didn't actually mean any of it, I only said it because it was the exact opposite of what he was – well, he _was_ short – and that's what made it so funny. What if he thought I was saying what I really thought about him?"

"Give your brother more credit, Adam," Mr. Davenport said, shaking his head with a light smile. "He's always known that you cared about him, and he's always looked up to you. You were his hero."

"But I failed him," Adam choked, fresh tears overwhelming him. He seemed to lose strength, leaning against Mr. Davenport for support. Mr. Davenport wrapped his arm around the bionic comfortingly. "I failed him."

"We all did," Mr. Davenport whispered, despair the only description for the way he said it. The two of them were enveloped in yet more silence, only broken by a sniffle here, a gulp there.

"What do you miss about him?" Mr. Davenport asked softly, breaking the quiet.

"His stupid smile, the way he always had my back, the funny things he said – even if I didn't understand any of it…. Dang it, I miss everything about him!"

"Me too," Mr. Davenport agreed, his eyes watering anew. He squeezed his oldest son's shoulder. "Me too…. If he were here, I'd tell him that I have always been proud of him. I couldn't be a happier father with you four."

"I'd tell him that everything I said before didn't mean a thing – that I was proud to know him. Man, I'd just tell him that I love him." Adam bit his lip to keep it from trembling, laying his head on Mr. Davenport's shoulder. "I just want my brother back."


End file.
